Circular-knitting machine



y 14, 1929' P. A. BENTLEY ET AL 1,712,726

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed 001;. 19, 1925 Patented May 14, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT T OFFICE.

PEfiCIVAL ARTHUR BENTLEY AND JOSEPH WALLIS GODDARD, 0F LEICESTER,

' ENGLAND.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

Application filed October 19, 1925, Serial No. 63,517, and-in Great Britain October 25, 1924.

This invention relates to circular knitting machines and has reference to splicing mechanism by which a reinforcing thread or yarn is supplied and fed along w th the main yarn, to strengthen the fabric, the splicing thread end being held by a trapper when splicing is discontinued. Such mechanism frequently comprises a take-up lever having a yarn-guiding free end for use in the knitting of heel and toe pouches, where a loose thread is laid round the temporarlly inactive needles of the needle cylinder during the reciprocation of the machine for heel and toe knitting, the function of the (s ring controlled take-up lever being to talie up the slack t read and keep it taut as it unwinds from those needles which have been rendered inactive just prior to and (luving reciprocation.

The take-up lever at its outer or free guide end must exert just sufficient pull 011 the yarn to take up the slack thread the whole time the pouch is knitted, but it is the-common practice to depress this said lever by any suitable means after the pouch is made so that no tension whatever is left upon the supply yarn while uniform tubular fabric is knitted, and as the take-up lever, at the finish of the pouch, is ac ng upon a thread that would otherwise he slack, this lever cannot be depressed until the machine resumes its rotary motion.

The placing of this take-up lever out of tensional contact with the supply thread being the last phase of the splicing operation, it is usually the first to be released lnto its active capacity and this occurs before the end of the splicing thread, now free by reason of the trapper opening and releasing the same, has reached and passed over the operative or guide end of the take-up lever. Consequently the splicing thread instead of ad hering closely to the main supply yarn and being carried therewith over the take-up lever guide end, gets below the said guide end and is likely to become separated from the main supply yarn. It is an object of the present invention to overcome this defect.

According to the present invention a circular knitting machine is provided with a take-up which normally is inactive but which is rendered active to take up slack in the yarn when a re-inforcing or other second thread or yarn is to be supplied to the needles, and ineansto bring the take-up into action, said means comprising controlling mechanism which is definitely timed to delay the release of the take-up until after the end of the said second thread or yarn shall have been fed to and knitted into the fabric.

Another feature of the invention is a circular knitting machine having a splicing mechanism comprising a trough or like memher for pressing a reinforcing or other second thread or yarn against the main yarn so that it travels therewith, combined with a trapper for the said second yarn which trapper is located between the inner end of the trough and the needle cylinder in close proximity to the needles.

The above and other features of the in vcntion will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of one form of the invention which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is an elevation showing, somewhat diagrammatically, sufficient of the parts of a knitting machine to enable the invention to be understood;

Figure 2 is a View of certain of the parts shown in Figure l but looking in the direction indicated by the arrow in that figure. As usual the main supply yarn 6 is fed downwards at an oblique angle and the spliclng yarn 4 lies in a horizontal position along the bottom of the groove in a trough 3, which may be of the same general nature as the trough described in the specification of our prior British Letters Patent No. 220,248.

In the present construction, however, there is situated between the inner end of the trough and the needle cylinder and in close proximity to the needles a trapper 5 shown as carried by a lever 31 and controlled by a spring 7 which tends to keep it in its closed or gripping position.

The splicing mechanism in this construction provides for an independent control of follows: A catch 13i shown as a lever-catch,

governs both the ocking and the release of the take-up lever 9 through the co-operation of the post lever or member 15 carrying with it pins or studs 17 and 19 suitably placed to engage with the lever .catch 13 at regulated positions. The member 15 turns about the same centre 14 as that about which the catch 13 turns. Further, there is provided a stepped cam 21 on the control drum 11, the member 15 being operated either direct from the stepped cam 21 or as shown through the medium of a two-armed lever 23, to which it is connected by a link 24, so that as the control drum 11 is advanced by intermittent stages the stepped cam 21 actuates the member 15 causing it to take a higher or lower level.

The end of the lever-catch 13 is provided with a cam incline 25 and with a slight re turn cam incline or slot 27 which engages with a pin 29 on a downwardly extending art 26 ofthe take-up lever 9 when the memer 15 is at its lowest or normal position that is to say, when the stepped cam 21 on the control drum 11 has been moved away from under the lever 23.

Z The splicing mechanism thus completes its function in sequential stages governed by the stepped cam 21 on the control, drum 11 in the following order 2- The first rise of'the stepped cam 21 lifts the member 15'to a height to bring the splicer trough 3 (and consequently the splicer thread) pressed well on to the main supply 'jy-arn 6, following which at the end of this "first movement of the stepped cam, the trap per 5 is opened by its lever 31 engagingwith a pin or projection 33 on the lever 23. The I second rise of the stepped cam by a further "advance ofthe control drum 1i nowcauses the member 15 to lift to another height where thepin 17 thereon makes contact with the 1 lever catch-13 and releases the take-up lever I 9 at the moment the machine starts to rcciprocate, that is when the splicing thread 4,

I having been carried along with the main yarn 6, has alreadybeen knitted by some of the needles. A third rise of the stepped cam by a third advance of the control drum allows part of the splicing mechanism to fall (as explained in the specification before mcntioned) to a position at which the yarn 6 and the splicingthread 4 continue to feed to the needles but are well separated from each otherprior to the closing of the trapper 5 on the splicing thread to break off and discontinue thesupply of the splicing thread at the fourth movement of the control drum causing a step down 35 of the stepped cam 21 to act upon the lever 23. A fifth advance of the control drum moves the stepped cam clear of the lever 23 which then resumes its lowest or normal position and by so doing the pin 19 on the member 15 engages the lever-catch 13 to bring tthe incline '25 at its free or outer end into operative contact with the pin 29 on the take-u lever 9 to depress the said lever and then 101d it securely locked in its depressed position to relieve the main yarn 6 of any further tension until the splicing mechanism has again been put in action.

Such a timed latching and unlatching mechanism for the take-up, by reason of its assuring automatically an adequate delay in the coming into action of the take-up until after the splicing mechanism has actually fed the splicing thread to the needles, considerably reduces any tendency to imperfect splicing and the consequent production of faulty goods particularly in the case of high speed circular knitting machines.

It is to be understood that although a reinforcing thread or yarn is hereinbefore referred to, such term must not be regarded as a limitation as obviously any usual second yarn which is to be introduced into the fabric during the knitting operation can be dealt with by mechanism according to the'invention. n

We claim:

1. In a circular knitting machine, in combination, a pivoted member for pressing a second yarn into frictional engagement with the main yarn so that it is fed therewith, a normally inactive take-up, a pivoted actuating member operatively connected with the aforesaid pivoted member, a lever catch mounted on the pivot of said actuating memher to govern both the locking and the release of the take-up, means to cause the lcvcr catch to engage and disengage the take-up lever, operative connections including a series of levers and links between said actuating member and a stepped cam, a pivoted trapper for the second yarn, and an operative connection between said pivoted trapper and one of the last mentioned levers substantially as set forth..

2. In a circular knitting machine, the combination with a shiftable member for pressing a splicing yarn and a main yarn into engagement, of a normall inactive takeup, a lever for operating said tukeu said lever directly engaging said prcsser fbr operating the latter, and timing means operating through said lever to shift said presscr and to place said tukeup in operative position after the main and second yarns have been fed to the fabric.

3. In a circular knitting machine, the combination with a shiftable member for pressing a splicin yarn and a main yarn into enative osition after the main and seccnd yams gagement, 0 a normally inactive takeup, a have een fed to the fabric.

lever for operating said takeu said lever In testimony whereof We have signed our 1 directly engaging said presser or'operating names to this specification.

the latter, a'cam, and means operated by said cam and acting through said lever to shift PERGIVAL ARTHUR BENJLLEY.

said presser and to place said takeup in oper- JOSEPH WALLIS GODDARD, 

